Editing Tables game

{{Short description|Class of board game}}
{{About|the board game genre|other uses|Table game (disambiguation){{!}}Table game}}
{{Infobox game
| italic title = no
| name=| subject_name = Tables family
| image=| image_link = [[File:Bg board L.jpg|center|270px]]
| image_caption = A tables board from Damascus
| years={{circa|3rd millennium BC}} to present
| players = 2 (or more in some variants)
| setup_time = < 1 minute 
| playing_time = 5–30 minutes
| random_chance = [[Dice]]
| skills  = [[Strategy]], [[probability]]
}}
'''Tables games''' are a class of [[board game]] that includes [[backgammon]] and which are played on a '''tables board''', typically with two rows of 12 vertical markings called [[point (tables game)|points]]. Players roll dice to determine the movement of pieces. Tables games are among the oldest known [[board game]]s, and many different varieties are played throughout the world. They are called "tables" games because the boards consist of four quadrants or "tables". The vast majority are [[race games]], the tables board representing a linear race track with start and finish points, the aim being to be first to the finish line, but the characteristic features that distinguish tables games from other race games are that they are two-player games using a large number of pieces, usually fifteen per player.

Tables games should not be confused with [[Casino game#Table games|table games]] which are casino gambling games like [[roulette]] or [[blackjack]].

== Name ==
The word "tables" is derived from the Latin ''tabula'' which primarily meant 'board' or 'plank', but also referred to this genre of game. From its plural form, ''tabulae'', come the names in other languages for this family of games including the Anglo-Saxon ''toefel'', German ''[wurf]zabel'', Greek ''tavli'', Italian ''tavoli'', Scandinavian ''tafl'', Spanish ''tablas'' and, of course, English and French ''tables''. The reason for the plural is twofold: first, that a tables board comprises four separate quadrants which are a feature of the play; and second, that ''tabulae'' also came to refer to the individual pieces – "[[Glossary of tables game terms|tablemen]]" or "men" for short – used in the various games.<ref name=Parlett58>Parlett (1999), p. 58.</ref>

== Definition ==
Most, but not all,{{efn|For example, [[Trictrac]], is not a race game ''per se''.}} tables games are a type of [[race game]]. They are characterised as being:<ref name=Parlett58/>
* Played by two players and hence bilaterally symmetrical.
* Multiplex games; i.e., players have a large number of pieces.
* Played on a rectangular board with players sitting on the long sides.
* Played on a board with four quarters known as tables, hence the name.

== Types ==
Tables games may be classified by movement<ref name=Parlett58-87>Parlett (1999), pp. 58–87.</ref> or by tactics.<ref name=P&R>Papahristou & Refanidis (2013), pp. 2–3.</ref>

=== Movement ===
Parlett (1999) identifies three different modes of movement in tables games:<ref name=Parlett58-87/>

==== Games without movement ====
A small number of tables games involve no actual movement of pieces around the board. Instead pieces are entered or borne off or both, the aim being to be the first player to do so. Examples include Alfonso's Los Doze Canes also called Los Doze Hermanos, the English games of [[Doublets (game)|Doublets]] and Catch Dolt, the French games Renette, Tables Rabattues and Paumecary, the Icelandic game of [[Ofanfelling]] and the Levantine game of Eureika. Most of these games are simple pursuits suitable for children.

==== Games of contrary movement ====
This is the group to which [[Backgammon]] belongs. Some start with all pieces off the board, others with a fixed starting layout, but the aim in every case is to race them around the board in opposite directions and be first to bear them off. The group also includes Acey Deucey, known as Gegenpuff in German-speaking countries, Plakota, the "[[English Game]]", the Spanish games of Emperador, Quinze Tablas and [[Todas Tablas]], the Italian games of Tavole Reales and Testa, and the French games of Tieste, Impérial and [[Trictrac]].

==== Games of parallel movement ====
Like other members of the tables family, games in this last group are often mistaken for Backgammon or assumed to be its variants, yet the direction of movement and hence play is quite different. Players move in the same direction around the board and that direction is always anticlockwise. The group includes the old German games of Langer Puff (known confusingly in English as German or Russian Backgammon) and Buffa, the Italian game of Buffa Cortese, the Spanish games of [[Laquet]] and Pareia de Entrada, the continental game of [[Verquere]], French [[Jacquet]], Turkish Moultezim and a curious Icelandic game called Chase the Girls.

=== Tactics ===
Papahristou & Refanidis (2013) categorise tables games by the type of attacking tactics permitted during the game:<ref name=P&R/>

==== Hitting games ====
This is the standard tactic in games of [[contrary movement]] such as [[Backgammon]] where players move their pieces in opposing directions. In a [[hitting game]], the players may [[hit (tables game)|hit]] enemy [[blot (tables game)|blots]] off the board. To do this a point must be occupied by only one opposing piece – this is called a blot – and the attacking player must move a piece onto that point. The blot is "hit" or "knocked off" the board and is usually placed on the [[bar (tables game)|bar]] between the two halves of the board.

==== Pinning games ====
[[Pinning game]]s are also games of contrary movement. However, no hitting is allowed. Instead, the attacking player may pin a blot by moving a piece onto the same point. The blot is not removed from the board, but is trapped and not permitted to move until the covering man is moved off. [[Plakoto]] is an example of a pinning game.

==== Running games ====
A [[running game (tables game)|running game]] is a game in which no hitting or pinning is allowed and the game is essentially a race to [[bear off]] all one's pieces first. Points occupied even by one enemy man are blocked to the other side. They are usually games of [[parallel movement]], like [[Fevga]], where players move around the board in the same direction, but some, like [[Gioul]], are games of [[contrary movement]] where players race their pieces past one another in opposing directions.

==History==
Numerous archaeological discoveries witness to game boards and artefacts bearing a strong resemblance to those used in [[race games]] and ancient texts give an idea of their play in some cases. These bilateral race games may well be the ancestors of the tables game family. They include the Alea, [[Dogs and Jackals]], [[Duodecim Scripta]], the Game of Twenty, Grammai, the [[Royal Game of Ur]], [[Senet]] and [[Nard (game)|Nard]].

The history of tables games may be divided into different periods of development:<ref>Parlett (1999), pp. 74–75</ref><ref>Fiske (1909), p. 173.</ref>

* Pre-classical period:{{efn|Parlett says "prehistoric" but means that period of ancient history before the 8th century BC.}} [[Grammai]] and other early race games
* [[Classical antiquity|Classical period]]: notably [[Ludus duodecim scriptorum]] and [[Tabula (game)|Tabula]]
* [[Nard (game)|Nard]] period: from its invention or earliest appearance in Southwestern Asia (or Persia) before AD 800
* Tables period: tables games from their arrival in Spain or Italy from the Arabic world around the turn of the first millennium
* Modern period: the rise of more sophisticated games from the 15th century onwards including [[Trictrac]] and Backgammon

=== Pre-classical period ===
==== Persia ====
The history of [[tables games]] and their [[race game]] forerunners can be traced back nearly 5,000 years to Persia,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.payvand.com/news/04/dec/1029.html|title=World's Oldest Backgammon Discovered In Burnt City|website=www.payvand.com}}</ref><ref name="wilkinson"/><ref name="murray">{{cite book |last=Murray |first=H.J.R. |author-link=H. J. R. Murray |chapter=6: Race-Games |title=A History of Board-Games Other than Chess |publisher=Hacker Art Books |year=1952 |isbn=978-0-87817-211-5}}</ref><ref name="Bray2011">{{cite book |last=Bray |first=Chris |title=Backgammon For Dummies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0SoloeOOtSkC&pg=PP31 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |date=14 February 2011 |pages=31– |isbn=978-1-119-99674-3}}</ref><ref name="Bray2012">{{cite book |last=Bray |first=Chris |title=Backgammon to Win |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m6PfAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA6 |publisher=Lulu Com |year=2012 |pages=6– |isbn=978-1-291-01965-0}}</ref> where excavations in 2006 at the [[Shahr-i Sokhta|Burnt City]] unearthed objects that appear to be part of a game set dating to around 3000 BC. These artefacts include an ebony board, two dice and 60 pieces, with the playing fields represented by the coils of a serpent. The rules of this game, like others found in Egypt, have yet to be discovered. It is, however, made from ebony, a material more likely to be found in the [[Indian subcontinent]], which indicates such board games may be more widespread than once thought.<ref name="Iranica board game">{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Schädler |first1=Ulrich |last2=Dunn-Vaturi |first2=Anne-Elizabeth |title=Board Games in pre-Islamic Persia |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/board-games-in-pre-islamic-persia |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Iranica |access-date=2018-04-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Burnt City: World's oldest "Backgammon" Game? – Dr. Kaveh Farrokh |url=https://www.kavehfarrokh.com/news/burnt-city-worlds-oldest-backgammon-game/}}</ref>

==== Mesopotamia ====
Prior to the Persian discovery, the oldest board game sets had been found in [[Ur]] and are thought to be around 100 to 200 years later. They were used for the [[Royal Game of Ur]], played in ancient [[Mesopotamia]]. These finds are significant because of two Babylonian tablets with cuneiform descriptions of the game played on these game sets, the later one dated {{Circa|177 BC}} and the other one dating to several centuries earlier.<ref name=Finkel>Finkel (2007), p. 22.</ref> These represent the oldest rule sets of any [[race game]] and clearly show this Sumerian game to be ancestral to the tables game family.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ancient Board Games in Perspective: Papers from the 1990 British Museum Colloquium, with Additional Contributions|last=Becker|first=Andrea|date=2007|publisher=British Museum Press|isbn=9780714111537|editor-last=Finkel|editor-first=Irving|editor-link=Irving Finkel|location=London, England|pages=16|chapter=The Royal Game of Ur|oclc=150371733}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=It's all a game : the history of board games from Monopoly to Settlers of Catan|last=Donovan|first=Tristan|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books|year=2017|isbn=9781250082725|edition=First|location=New York|pages=13–16|oclc=960239246}}</ref>

==== Egypt ====
Another ancient race game was [[Senet]], played by the [[ancient Egypt]]ians around the same time.<ref>Hayes, William C. "Egyptian Tomb Reliefs of the Old Kingdom", ''The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin'', New Series 4:7. March 1946. pp 170–178.</ref> Board fragments that could be Senet have been found in [[First dynasty of Egypt|First Dynasty]] burials in Egypt,<ref name="Piccione">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca/Archives/Piccione/index.html |title=In search of the meaning of Senet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918080211/http://www.gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca/Archives/Piccione/index.html |archive-date=2008-09-18 |first=Peter A. |last=Piccione |website=Games Museum |publisher=University of Waterloo |place=Canada}}</ref> {{circa|3100 BC}}, but the first painting of this ancient game is from the [[Third Dynasty]] ({{Circa|2686}}–2613 BC). People are depicted playing Senet in a painting in the tomb of Rashepes, as well as other tombs dating to {{Circa|2500 BC}}.<ref name="Metha">{{cite journal |author1=Metha Melissa Wijoyono |author2=Alvin Raditya |title=Perancangan Permainan Media Edukasi Sebagai Pembelajaran Cara Melindungi Diri Dalam Menghadapi Bencana Alam Bagi Anak Usia 7–12 Tahun |journal=Jurnal DKV Adiwarna |date=10 July 2014 |volume=1 |issue=4 |pages=12 |url=http://publication.petra.ac.id/index.php/dkv/article/view/2021 |language=Id}}</ref> The oldest complete Senet boards date to the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]].<ref name=":0">{{cite thesis |title=The Historical Development of the Game of Senet and its Significance for Ancient Egyptian Religion |last=Piccione |first=Peter A. |degree=PhD (unpublished) |publisher=University of Chicago |year=1990 |location=Chicago}}</ref>

Senet was played in neighbouring cultures, probably arriving there through trade links with the Egyptians.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Crist |first1=Walter |display-authors=etal |year=2016 |title=Facilitating Interaction: Board Games as Social Lubricants in the Ancient Near East |journal=Oxford Journal of Archaeology |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=179–196 |doi=10.1111/ojoa.12084}}</ref> It has been found in the [[Levant]] at sites such as [[Tel Arad|Arad]]<ref name="Sebbane">{{cite journal |last=Sebbane |first=Michael |year=2001 |title=Board Games from Canaan in the Early and Intermediate Bronze Ages and the Origin of the Egyptian Senet Game |journal=Tel Aviv |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=213–230 |doi=10.1179/tav.2001.2001.2.213|s2cid=162219908 }}</ref> and [[Byblos]], as well as in [[Cyprus]].<ref>{{cite book | title=The Kent State Expedition to Episkopi-Phaneromeni | publisher=Paul Astroms Forlag | last=Swiny | first=Stuart | year=1986 | location=Nicosia | isbn=9186098403}}</ref> Because of the local practice of making games out of stone, more Senet games have survived in Cyprus than in Egypt.<ref>{{cite book |title=Ancient Egyptians at Play: Board Games across Borders |last1=Crist |first1=Walter |display-authors=etal |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4742-2117-7}}</ref>

=== Classical period ===
[[File:Tabula - boardgame - Zeno game.svg|thumb|upright=1.10|right|The situation in Zeno's game of tabula when he had an unlucky dice throw]]

==== Byzantine Empire ====
[[Tabula (game)|Tabula]] (also called [[Alea (game)|Alea]], ''Tablē'' or ''Tάβλι''{{efn|Meaning 'table' or 'board' in [[Byzantine Greek]]}}), is the oldest identifiable tables game. It is described in an [[epigram]] of [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] [[Zeno (emperor)|Emperor Zeno]] (AD 476–491).<ref name="austin-zeno">{{cite journal |last=Austin |first=Roland G |title=Zeno's Game of τάβλη |journal=The Journal of Hellenic Studies |volume=54 |issue=2 |year=1934 |pages=202–205 |doi=10.2307/626864 |jstor=626864|s2cid=163212104 }}</ref> It had the typical tables board layout with 24 rectangular [[point (tables game)|points]], 12 on each side. Each player had 15 [[men (tables game)|men]] and used cubical [[dice]] with sides numbered one to six.<ref name="austin-zeno" /> The object of the game was to be the first to [[bear off]] all of one's men.<ref name="austin-zeno" /><ref name="austin-roman2">{{cite journal|last=Austin|first=Roland G.|title=Roman Board Games. II|journal=Greece & Rome|volume=4|issue=11|date=February 1935|pages=76–82|doi=10.1017/s0017383500003119|s2cid=248520932 }}</ref> Modern backgammon follows similar rules to those of tabula, the key differences being that tabula uses an extra die (three rather than two), there is no [[doubling die]] or bar, and all the [[tablemen]] start off the board. Interestingly, the rules in backgammon for re-entering pieces from the [[bar (tables games)|bar]] are the same as those in tabula for entering [[piece (tables game)|pieces]] from off the board, along with those for hitting a blot, and bearing off.<ref name="bell">Robert Charles Bell, ''Board and table games from many civilizations'', Courier Dover Publications, 1979, {{ISBN|0-486-23855-5}}, pp. 33–35.</ref> The name {{lang|el|τάβλη}} is still used for tables games in Greece, where they are frequently played in town [[plateia]]s and cafes.<ref name="koukoules">{{cite book|last=Koukoules|first=Phaidon|author-link=|title=Vyzantinon Vios kai Politismos|year=1948|volume=1|pages=200–204|publisher=Collection de l'institut français d'Athènes}}</ref> The epigram of Zeno describes a particularly bad dice roll the emperor had for his given position. Zeno, who was white, had a [[stack (tables game)|stack]] of seven men, three stacks of two men and two [[blot (tables game)|blots]], men that stood alone on a point and were therefore in danger of being put outside the board by an incoming opposing man. Zeno threw the three dice with which the game was played and obtained 2, 5 and 6. The rules meant that Zeno could not move to a [[space (tables game)|space]] occupied by two opposing (black) men. The black and white tablemen were so distributed on the points that the only way to use all three results, as required by the game rules, was to break the three stacks of two men into blots, exposing them and ruining the game for Zeno.<ref name="austin-zeno" /><ref name="bell" />

==== Roman Empire ====
[[File:Roman Game of 12 Lines Board - Aphrodisias.jpg|thumb|upright=1.10|right|Roman ''[[Ludus duodecim scriptorum]]'' board from the 2nd century, Aphrodisias]]
The {{lang|grc-x-medieval|τάβλι}} of Zeno's time is believed to be a direct descendant of the earlier Roman ''[[Ludus duodecim scriptorum]]'' ("Game of Twelve Lines") with the board's middle row of points removed, and only the two outer rows remaining.<ref name="austin-roman2" /> {{Lang|la|Duodecim scriptorum}} used a board with three rows of 12 points each, with the 15 men being moved in opposing directions by the two players across three rows according to the roll of the three cubical dice.<ref name="austin-zeno" /><ref name="austin-roman2" /> Little specific text about the play of {{lang|la|Duodecim scriptorum}} has survived;<ref name="austin-roman1">{{cite journal|last=Austin|first=Roland G.|title=Roman Board Games. I|journal=Greece & Rome|volume=4|issue=10|date=October 1934|pages=24–34|doi=10.1017/s0017383500002941|s2cid=162861940 }}</ref> it may have been related to the older [[Ancient Greek]] dice game ''Kubeia''. The earliest known mention of the game is in [[Ovid]]'s {{Lang|la|[[Ars Amatoria]]}} ("The Art of Love"), written between 1 BC and 8 AD. In Roman times, this game was also known as ''Alea'', and a likely apocryphal Latin story linked this name, and the game, to a [[Troy|Trojan]] soldier named [[Alea (Greek soldier)|Alea]].<ref>Finkel, Irving L. "Ancient board games in perspective." British Museum Colloquium. 2007. p. 224</ref><ref>Jacoby, Oswald, and John R. Crawford. ''The backgammon book''. Viking Pr, 1976.</ref>
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=== Nard period ([[Middle Ages]]) ===
==== Middle East ====
[[File:Buzurgmihr-nard.jpg|thumb|[[Burzoe]] demonstrates the game of [[nard (game)|nard]] to the Indian [[Raja]]s]]
In the 11th century [[Shahnameh]], the [[Persia]]n poet [[Ferdowsi]] credits [[Borzuya]] with the invention of the game of [[nard (game)|Nard]] in the 6th century. He describes an encounter between Borzuya and a [[Raja]] visiting from [[India]]. The Raja introduces the game of [[chess]], and Borzuya demonstrates Nard, played with dice made from [[ivory]] and [[teak]].<ref name="wilkinson">Wilkinson, Charles K. "Chessmen and Chess", ''The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin''. New Series 1:9, May 1943. pp. 271–279</ref>

Meanwhile, Persian tradition places the invention of nard in the 3rd or even 6th century AD. The name of the game nard is an abbreviated version of the original Persian name ''nardšir''. The Middle-Persian text, ''Kār-nāmag ī Ardaxšēr ī Pāpakān'', associates the invention of nard with [[Ardashir I]] (r. 224–41), the founder of the [[Sasanian dynasty]], whereas in the Middle Persian narrative ''Wičārišn ī čatrang ud nihišn ī nēw-ardaxšēr'' (Explanation of Chess and the Invention of Nardshir) it is [[Bozorgmehr Bokhtagan]], the vizier of [[Khosrow I]] (r. 531–79), who is credited with the invention of the game.<ref name="Iranica board game"/>

==== East Asia ====
[[File:Backgammon set,around the 10th century, China.JPG|thumb|upright=1.10|Table game set from around the 10th century, China]]
Nard was popular in China for a time and was known as "shuanglu" ({{lang|zh|雙陸/双陆}}, {{lang|zh-Latn|shuānglù}}). Shuanglu came from western India to China during the [[Cao Wei|Wei dynasty]] and was a significant table game during the [[Liang dynasty|Liang]], [[Chen dynasty|Chen]], [[Sui dynasty|Sui]], [[Tang dynasty|Tang]], and [[Qi Dynasty (937-939)|Qi]] dynasties.<ref name="GuoEymanSun">{{Cite book |last=Guo |first=Li |title=Games & Play in Chinese & Sinophone Cultures |url= https://uw.manifoldapp.org/system/actioncallout/b/e/a/bea1a223-e494-401c-b2b6-8a1d910e1910/attachment/911d70bd22c9daec91df4300ad25e4b1.pdf |last2=Eyman |first2=Douglas |last3=Sun |first3=Hongmei |date=2024 |publisher=[[University of Washington Press]] |isbn=9780295752402 |editor-last=Guo |editor-first=Li |location=Seattle, WA |pages=7 |chapter=Introduction |editor-last2=Eyman |editor-first2=Douglas |editor-last3=Sun |editor-first3=Hongmei}}</ref> The book {{lang|zh-Latn|Pǔ Shuāng}} ({{lang|zh|譜雙}}) written during the [[Southern Song]] period (1127–1279) recording over ten variants. Over time it was replaced by other games such as ''[[xiangqi]]'' (Chinese chess).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.cctv.com/special/zgctty/20070605/107991.shtml|title=CCTV.com-[博弈篇]舶来棋戏——双陆|website=news.cctv.com}}</ref>

In Japan, ''[[sugoroku|ban-sugoroku]]'' is thought to have been brought from China in the 6th century, and is mentioned in [[Genji monogatari]]. As a gambling game, it was made illegal several times.<ref>[http://www.sugoroku.net/history_e/history6.html Origin of Sugoroku in Japan], sugoroku.net</ref> In the early [[Edo]] era, a new and fast gambling game called ''[[Chō-han]]'' appeared and ''sugoroku'' quickly dwindled. By the 13th century, the board game [[Go (game)|Go]], originally played only by the aristocracy, had become popular among the general public.<ref name=HistJapan3>{{cite web|url=http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/lesson/knowledge-e/history03.htm|publisher=[[Nihon Kiin]]|title=History of Go in Japan: part 3|access-date=2007-11-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114231823/http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/lesson/knowledge-e/history03.htm|archive-date=14 November 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In Korea, a similar game exists known as {{lang|ko-Latn|Ssang-ryuk}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=쌍륙 – 문화콘텐츠닷컴 |url=https://www.culturecontent.com/content/contentView.do?content_id=cp020500930001 |website=www.culturecontent.com |access-date=7 November 2021}}</ref>

==== Europe ====
[[Image:Codex Manesse 262v Herr Goeli.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|left|The poet [[Herr Goeli]] playing, from the 14th century [[Codex Manesse]]]]
In [[English language|English]], the word "tables" is derived from [[Latin]] ''tabula''. Its first use referring to board games documented by the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] was circa AD 700.<ref name="oed1">"table, n.", ''[http://dictionary.oed.com The Oxford English Dictionary].'' Second Edition, 1989. (Subscription required)</ref>

The [[Gloucester tabula set]], Discovered on the site of [[Gloucester Castle]] in 1983, with its [[obelisk]] shaped points provides a potential transitional phase between the Roman square points, and the triangular points that were common in the 13th century.

The {{lang|fr|jeux de tables}} ('Games of Tables') first appeared in France during the 11th century and became a favorite pastime of gamblers. In 1254, [[Louis IX of France|Louis IX]] issued a decree prohibiting his court officials and subjects from playing.<ref name="murray"/><ref name="lillich"/> Tables games were played in Germany in the 12th century, and had reached [[Iceland]] by the 13th century. In [[Spain]], the [[Alfonso X]] manuscript {{lang|es|[[Libro de los juegos]]}}, completed in 1283, describes rules for a number of dice and table games in addition to its extensive discussion of chess.<ref name="wollesen">Wollesen, Jens T. "Sub specie ludi...: Text and Images in Alfonso El Sabio's Libro de Acedrex, Dados e Tablas", ''Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte'' 53:3, 1990. pp. 277–308.</ref> Tables games were played in Germany in the 12th century, and had reached [[Iceland]] by the 13th century.

In 1254, [[Louis IX of France|Louis IX]] issued a decree prohibiting his court officials and subjects from playing dice games.<ref name="lillich">Lillich, Meredith Parsons. "The Tric-Trac Window of Le Mans", ''The Art Bulletin'' 65:1, March 1983. pp. 23–33.</ref>

Mediaeval tables should not be confused with ''[[Tafl games|Tafl]]'', an unrelated class of board games (albeit linguistically related) played in medieval Scandinavia. [[Tâb]] and tablan<ref>[http://www.cyningstan.com/data-download/230/tablan-leaflet ''Tablan''] at cyningstan.com. Retrieved 7 July 2022.</ref> (as well as the related games [[sáhkku]] and [[daldøs]]) may, on the other hand, be descendants of tabula.

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=== Modern period ===
==== Europe ====
By the 17th century, table games had spread to [[Sweden]]. A wooden board and counters were recovered from the wreck of the [[Regalskeppet Vasa|''Vasa'']] among the belongings of the ship's officers. Tables games appear widely in paintings of this period, mainly those of Dutch and German painters, such as [[Adriaen van Ostade|Van Ostade]], [[Jan Steen]], [[Hieronymus Bosch]], and [[Pieter Bruegel the Elder|Bruegel]]. Some surviving artworks are [[Cardsharps (Caravaggio)|''Cardsharps'']] by [[Caravaggio]] (the tables board is in the lower left) and ''[[The Triumph of Death]]'' by [[Pieter Bruegel the Elder]] (the tables board is in the lower right). Others include [[Hell (Bosch)|''Hell'' (Bosch)]] and [[c:File:Jan Steen - The Interior of an Inn ('The Broken Eggs') NG NG NG5637.jpg|''Interior of an Inn'']] by Jan Steen.
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==== The rise of Backgammon ====
[[Image:Hoyle-backgammon.png|thumb|upright=0.95|right|''A Short Treatise on the Game of Back-Gammon'', by [[Edmond Hoyle]]]]
{{Main|Backgammon}}
The earliest known mention of Backgammon was in a letter dated 1635 and it was a variant of the popular mediaeval Anglo-Scottish game of [[Irish (game)|Irish]]. By the 19th century it had superseded other tables games in popularity and spread abroad to Europe and America. The scoring rules have changed over time and a doubling cube added that enables players to raise the stakes.

Backgammon's predecessor was the tables game of Irish, which was popular at the Scottish court of James IV and considered "the more serious and solid game" when Backgammon began to emerge in the first half of the 17th century.<ref>Howell (1635), Vol. 2, No. 68.</ref> In the 16th century, [[Elizabethan]] laws and church regulations had prohibited playing tables in England, but by the 18th century, tables games were on the rise again and Backgammon had superseded Irish and become popular among the English clergy.<ref name="murray"/> [[Edmond Hoyle]] published ''A Short Treatise on the Game of Back-Gammon'' in 1753; this described rules and strategy for the game and was bound together with a similar text on [[whist]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Allee|first=Sheila|url=http://www.utexas.edu/supportut/news_pub/yg_foreedge.html|title=A Foregone Conclusion: Fore-Edge Books Are Unique Additions to Ransom Collection|publisher=The University of Texas at Austin|access-date=2006-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060621093338/http://www.utexas.edu/supportut/news_pub/yg_foreedge.html|archive-date=2006-06-21|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In English, the word "backgammon" is most likely derived from "back" and {{langx|enm|gamen}}, meaning "game" or "play". The earliest mention of the game, which was under the name of ''Baggammon'', was by James Howell in a letter dated 1635.<ref>Howell (1650), p. 105.</ref>{{efn|The fact that this is the earliest mention is stated in Fiske (1905), p. 285.}}  Meanwhile, the first use documented by the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] was in 1650.<ref name="oed2">{{cite book|chapter=backgammon|title=The Oxford English Dictionary |edition=Second |url=http://dictionary.oed.com |year=1989|access-date=2006-08-05}}</ref> In 1666, it is reported that the "old name for backgammon used by Shakespeare and others" was Tables.<ref>Wheately (1666), p. 70.</ref>  However, it is clear from Willughby that "tables" was a generic name and that the phrase "playing at tables" was used in a similar way to "playing at cards".<ref name=Willughby>Willughby (c. 1660-1672), entries for "Cards", "Tables", "Irish" and "Back Gammon."</ref>[[File:The Backgammon Players - Theodoor Rombouts - Google Cultural Institute.jpg|thumb|''The Backgammon Players'' by [[Theodoor Rombouts]], 1634]]The most recent major development in backgammon was the addition of the doubling cube. It was first introduced in the 1920s in [[New York City]] among members of gaming clubs in the [[Lower East Side]].<ref name="robertie-501">{{cite book|last=Robertie|first=Bill|author-link=Bill Robertie|title=501 Essential Backgammon Problems|edition=Second Printing|year=2002|page=22|publisher=Cardoza|isbn=978-1-58042-019-8}}</ref> The cube required players not only to select the best move in a given position, but also to estimate the probability of winning from that position, transforming backgammon into the [[expected value]]-driven game played in the 20th and 21st centuries.<ref name="robertie-501" />
The popularity of backgammon surged in the mid-1960s, in part due to the charisma of [[Prince Alexis Obolensky]] who became known as "The Father of Modern Backgammon".<ref name="GAM">{{cite web|url=http://www.gammonlife.com/news/the_inventor_of_doubling_in_backgammon.htm|title=The Inventor of Doubling in Backgammon|website=www.gammonlife.com}}</ref> "Obe", as he was called by friends, co-founded the International Backgammon Association,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gammonvillage.com/backgammon/news/article_display.cfm?resourceid=937|title=The Father Of Modern Backgammon – GammonVillage Magazine|website=www.gammonvillage.com}}</ref> which published a set of official rules. He also established the World Backgammon Club of Manhattan, devised a backgammon tournament system in 1963, then organized the first major international backgammon tournament in March 1964, which attracted royalty, celebrities and the press. The game became a huge fad and was played on college campuses, in [[discothèques]] and at country clubs;<ref name="GAM" /> stockbrokers and bankers began playing at conservative men's clubs.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|title=Urge to Play Backgammon Sweeping Men's Clubs|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/01/13/archives/an-old-old-game-gains-new-favor-urge-to-play-backgammon-sweeping.html?sq=Tim%2520Holland%2520backgammon&scp=14&st=cse|quote=A disk and dice game that has been played in Middle Eastern streets for thousands of years, in English homes for hundreds of years, and on Bronx stoops for dozens of years has suddenly gripped the bankers and brokers of old-line men's clubs all over town.|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 13, 1966|access-date=2010-09-10 }}</ref> People young and old all across the country dusted off their boards and "checkers". Cigarette, liquor and car companies began to sponsor tournaments, and [[Hugh Hefner]] held backgammon parties at the [[Playboy Mansion]].<ref name="PLAY65">{{cite web|url=http://www.play65.com/World-Backgammon-Championships-History.html|title=World Backgammon Championships History – Backgammon Masters – Backgammon Articles' Categories – Play65™|website=www.play65.com}}</ref> Backgammon clubs were formed and tournaments were held, resulting in a World Championship promoted in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] in 1967.<ref name="PLAY65" />

Most recently, the [[United States Backgammon Federation]] (USBGF) was organized in 2009 to re-popularize the game in the United States. Board and committee members include many of the top players, tournament directors and writers in the worldwide backgammon community. The USBGF has recently created a [http://usbgf.org/standards-of-ethical-practice/ Standards of Ethical Practice] to address issues which tournament rules fail to touch.

== Tables games by region ==
=== Europe ===
[[File:MaryRoseTablesGame.jpg|thumb|A tables board found in the shipwreck of the [[Mary Rose]] (1545)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://onthetudortrail.com/Blog/resources/life-in-tudor-england/tudor-games-indoor-pastimes/|title=Tudor Games & Indoor Pastimes}}</ref>]]
==== France ====
'''[[Trictrac]]''' was the classic [[French people|French]] tables game of the 17th and 18th centuries in the same way that backgammon that now is in the English-speaking world.<ref name="Parlett">Parlett (1999), p. 86.</ref> There are two main forms of the game, ''le Grand Trictrac'' and ''le Petit Trictrac.''<ref>{{cite book |title=Le Grand Trictrac. Ou Méthode Facile pour Apprendre san Maître. |last=Soumille |first=Abbot (abbé) Bernard Laurent |year=1738 |publisher=Chez F.Girard & D. Seguin |location=Avignon|language=fr |pages=320 |postscript=NUC: Library of Congress, University of Chicago.}}</ref> However, it is not a race game; rather the main aim is to score points.

In Trictrac, the starting point is called a ''talon'', the points, or ''fleches'', are numbered to 12 on both sides of the board, with the 12th point on either side called the ''coin de repos'', or, simply, ''coin''. The 11th point (on either side) is often called ''le case d'écolier'', or 'schoolboy's point' (''case'' meaning 'square', literally) after the tendency of inexperienced players to rush to this point too soon in the game.<ref>{{cite book |title=A History of Board Games Other than Chess |last=Murray |first=H. J. R. |author-link=H. J. R. Murray |year=1978 |publisher=Hacker Art Books |isbn=978-0-87817-211-5 |pages=279}}</ref>  Statistically, the most difficult points in the game to reach aside from the ''coins'' are the 8th points, and they are named ''les fleches de diable'', or '[[Satan|the Devil's]] points', for this reason.<ref>{{cite book |title=Ibid}}</ref> The home boards are referred to as the ''jan de retour'' by either player. Doubles are treated as two identical numbers.<ref>{{cite book |title=Le Jeu de Trictrac |year=1701 |publisher=Chez Henry Charpentier |location=Paris |pages=198 |postscript=ASIN: B004FKIFEY.}}</ref>

Trictrac was superseded by the much simpler game of '''[[Jacquet (game)|Jacquet]]''' during the 19th century, a race game with a number of distinctive features. First, players circulated the board in the same direction rather than in opposing directions. Second, players could not move the majority of their pieces until the first piece, the "courier" or "postilion", had reached the final quadrant.<ref>Fiske (1905), p. 183.</ref> Jacquet was largely ousted by Anglo-American games in the 1960s, but its rules are still published and boards are still manufactured.<ref name="Parlett" /><ref>[http://salondesjeux.fr/jacquet.htm ''Le jeu de Jacquet''] at salondesjeux.fr. Retrieved 29 October 2021.</ref>

'''[[Tourne Case]]''' is another old French tables game and more one of chance than skill. Using a tables board, each player only takes 3 pieces. The aim is to enter them onto the board using the throws of the dice and be first to move all 3 to the "home corner" (''coin de repos'') on the 12th point of the board. The men may not pass over one another nor may there be more than one on a point except in the home corner. If a man moves to a point opposite that of an opposing man, the latter is "hit". It must be removed from the board and re-entered from the start.<ref>Fallavel (1715), pp. 63–77.</ref>
{{anchor|Tavli}}

====Greece and Cyprus====
{{main|Tavli}}
[[File:Tavli Board without slots (traditional).jpg|thumb|Traditional Greek [[Tavli]] board made from [[Rosewood]] with checkers made of [[Galalith]].]]
Tables games are popular among the [[Greeks]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Playing Tavli (Backgammon) in Greece with Omilo |url=https://omilo.com/greek-backgammon/ |website=omilo.com |access-date=22 January 2021}}</ref> These games are called '''Tavli''', derived in [[Byzantine]] times from the Latin word {{lang|la|tabula}}.<ref name="koukoules" /> A game of the tables family called [[Tabula (game)|Tavli]] ([[Byzantine Greek]]: {{lang|grc-x-medieval|τάβλι}}) is described in an epigram of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] [[Zeno (emperor)|Emperor Zeno]] (AD 476–481).<ref name="austin-zeno" /> The games of [[Tavli]] most commonly played are:

* '''Portes''' has no doubling cube, and players only win double (called ''diplo'', Greek for "double"), not triple, when a player bears off all the counters while the opponent has yet to bear off any and has still counters on the winner's home board or on the bar.{{efn|Winning double in Backgammon occurs when the player bears off all the counters while the opponent has yet to bear any off.}}
* '''[[Plakoto]]''' is very similar to Mahbusa or [[Tapa (game)|tapa]]. It has some general similarities with Portes, but with a different opening layout of the pieces and blots are [[pinning (tables game)|pinned]] (so they cannot move) instead of being hit.
* '''Fevga''' is similar to '''Narde''' or the Turkish variant '''Moultezim'''.  It is a [[running game (tables game)|running game]] of [[parallel movement]]; players moving in the same direction. There is not hitting or pinning and a point is blocked to the opponent even when occupied by a single piece.

The three games are normally played consecutively, in three-, five- or seven-point matches.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|title=Tavli (Greek Backgammon)|publisher=Backgammon Galore!|url=http://www.bkgm.com/variants/Tavli.html|year=2003|access-date=2006-08-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813073758/http://www.bkgm.com/variants/Tavli.html|archive-date=13 August 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> Before starting a match, each player rolls 1 die, and the player with the highest roll picks up both dice and re-rolls (i.e. it is possible to roll doubles for the opening move). Players use the same pair of dice in turns. After the first game, the winner of the previous game starts first. Each game counts as 1 point, if the opponent has borne off at least 1 stone, otherwise 2 points. There is no doubling cube. Tavli is considered the national board game of Cyprus and Greece.

Other Greek tables games include:
* '''Gul''' or '''Multezim''' is Fevga with the feature that, on a double, one has to play all doubles subsequently till the 6–6. If a dice throw cannot be fulfilled in any way, his opponent takes the turn for the remaining moves of that throw.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tavliinfo.gr/tavlimain/tavligames/gioul/index.html|title = ΓΚΙΟΥΛ}}</ref>
* '''Asodio''' is a game where all pieces are off the board at the outset and players enter either by rolling doubles or an Ace-Deuce combination.
* '''Sfaktes''' means "slayers".<ref name="bkgm-tavli">[http://www.bkgm.com/variants/Tavli.html "Tavli (Greek Backgammon)".] ''Backgammon Galore''. Retrieved on August 8, 2006.</ref> 
* '''Evraiko''' (Jewish), a much simpler game depending entirely on luck with no room for skill.

====Romania====
In [[Romania]], ''tablă'' (meaning "board", cognate of the Latin ''tabula'') has two variations: there is no doubling cube and a backgammon counts only as a gammon (called ''marț''). Matches are usually played to three points.

====Sweden====
[[File:Old Backgammon Vasa.jpg|thumb|Tables board with counters recovered from the Swedish 17th century warship ''[[Regalskeppet Vasa|Vasa]]''.]]
'''Bräde''' or '''svenskt brädspel''' ("Swedish Tables") is an elaborate version of the historical game [[verquere]] that is played in [[Sweden]]. Players start with all 15 of their counters on opposite corners of the board, and play around counter-clockwise. Besides bearing off, there are several other ways to win, such as arranging all of one's counters in certain pre-determined patterns, or by hitting so many counters that one's opponent can not bring them in again. Additional points are awarded for a victory while one's opponent has counters on the bar. Brädspel is played without the doubling cube.<ref name="helmfrid-bradspel">Helmfrid, Sten, ''et al.'' ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060211000038/https://www.vasamuseet.se/upload/the_game_of_swedish_tables.pdf The Game of Swedish Tables]'' [PDF]. February 26, 2003. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.</ref> Interest in brädspel experienced a resurgence following the recovery of a 17th-century board from the wreck of the [[Regalskeppet Vasa|Vasa]].<ref name="vasa-museum">[http://www.vasamuseet.se/Vasamuseet/Om/Vasamuseets%20vanner/Bradspelsvanner.aspx?lang=en "Vasamuseet — The Swedish-Tables Association"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060518141653/http://www.vasamuseet.se/Vasamuseet/Om/Vasamuseets%20vanner/Bradspelsvanner.aspx?lang=en |date=2006-05-18 }}, ''The Vasa Museum''. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.</ref>

=== Far East ===

There are two games known as ''[[sugoroku]]'' (双六) in [[Japan]]. One more closely resembles [[Snakes and Ladders]], while the other is played on a 24-point tables board, using standard tables equipment. The starting position is identical to that of [[backgammon]], however it differs from most other tables variants in that the pieces are never borne off. Additionally, the use of primes is not permitted.

===Middle East and Central Asia===
Tables games are played widely in the [[Middle East]] and [[Central Asia]]. The most popular is known as '''{{transliteration|ar|Tawlah}}''' in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] (meaning "table"). This may represent a shared name origin with the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] or [[Byzantine]] tables games. The game is called '''{{transliteration|fa|Takhte Nard}}''' in [[Iran]]. In [[Israel]] and many Arabic-speaking countries, it is known as '''Shesh Besh''' (pronounced Sheesh Beesh in Arabic), which is a rhyming combination ''shesh'', meaning six in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Aramaic]] and [[Northwest Semitic languages|Northwest Semitic]], and ''besh'', meaning five in [[Turkish language|Turkish]]). It is also played by some Kurdish, Persian and Turkish speakers. ''Shesh besh'' is commonly used to refer to when a player scores a 5 and 6 at the same time on dice.<ref name="BoueriBoutros2006">{{cite book |last1=Boueri |first1=Marijean |last2=Boutros |first2=Jill |last3=Sayad |first3=Joanne |title=Lebanon A to Z: A Middle Eastern Mosaic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VIemBhgNmpAC&pg=PA59 |publisher=PublishingWorks |date=April 2006 |pages=59– |isbn=978-0-9744803-4-3}}</ref>

The name '''Nardshir''' comes from the [[Persian language|Persian]] ''nard'' (Wooden block) and ''shir'' (lion) referring to the two type of pieces used in play. A common legend associates the game with the founder of the [[Sassanian dynasty]], [[Ardashir I]]. The oldest known reference to the game is thought to be a passage in the [[Talmud]].

''[[Plakoto|Mahbusa]]'' means "imprisoned". Each player begins with 15 counters on his opponent's 24-point. If a counter is hit, it is not placed on the bar, but instead, the hitting piece is placed on top, and the point is then controlled by the hitting player. The counter which has been hit is 'imprisoned' and cannot be moved until the opponent removes his piece. Sometimes, a rule is used that requires a player to bring his first counter around to his home board before moving any others. In any case, a rapid advance to one's own home board is desirable, as imprisoning the opponent's counter there is highly advantageous. Mahbusa is similar to ''[[Tapa (game)|tapa]]''.

''[[Fevga|Tawla 31]]'' (meaning table 31) or ''[[Fevga|Maghribiyya]]'' (meaning "Moroccan"). Similar to '''Mahbusa''', each player begins with 15 counters on the opponent's 24-point. However, this game involves neither hitting not pinning. Instead, one or more pieces on a point act as a [[block (tables game)|block]]. Moreover, a player must initially advance only one counter to the opponent's 'home board' before being able to move additional pieces. '''Tawla 31''' or '''Maghribiyya''' is similar to ''[[Fevga]]''.
<!-- these were previously included in this section, but there is no explanation of how they are played. I have commented them out. -->
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# '''{{transl|ar|maghribiyya}}'''. --><!-- what does this mean? --><!--
# '''{{transl|ar|tawlet zaher}}''', meaning "table of dice". -->

Many of the early [[Arabic]] texts which refer to the game comment on the debate regarding the legality and morality of playing the game. This debate was settled by the eighth century when all four [[Islam|Muslim]] schools of jurisprudence declared the game to be [[Haraam]] (forbidden), however the game is still played today in many Arab countries.

In the modern Middle East, tables games are a common feature of [[coffeehouse]]s. Today they continue to be commonly played in various forms in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and throughout the Arab world.

A feature of tables play in some Arab countries is that [[Persian language|Persian]] numbers, rather than Arabic ones, are called out by a player announcing his [[dice]] rolls.{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}}

====Armenia====
'''Nardi''' ({{langx|hy|նարդի}}) is very popular among [[Armenians]]. The word is derived from Persian word {{Lang|fa-Latn|nard}} ({{langx|fa|نرد|rtl=yes}}). There are two games of Nardi commonly played:

[[Short Nardi]]: the local name for Backgammon; same setup and rules.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vnews.am/kartch-nardi-xaghalu-kanonnereh-ev-orenkhnereh/|title=Կարճ նարդի խաղալու կանոնները և օրենքները|first=Կարեն|last=Ռաֆայելյան|website=VNews}}</ref>

[[Long Nardi]]: A game that starts with all fifteen pieces are placed in a line on the 24-point and on the 11-point. The two players move their pieces in parallel directions, from the 24-point towards the 1-point, or home board. In Long Nardi, one piece by itself can block a point. There is no hitting in Long Nardi. The objective of the game is bearing all pieces off the board, and there is no doubling cube.

==== Iran ====
{{main|Nard (game){{!}}Nard}}
[[File:Persian Backgammon board made in Khatam technique.jpg|thumb|Persian [[Nard (game)|Nard]] Board made in the [[Khatam]] marquetry technique.]]
'''Nard''' is the name for the Persian tables game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranian.com/Alimagham/2006/February/Backgammon/index.html,|title=Backgammon, or Takheth Nard}}</ref> H. J. R. Murray details many versions of tables games; his description of modern Persian ''Nard'' has the same layout and scheme of movement as backgammon. He suggests that it may date back, perhaps in an older form, to 300–500 AD in the Babylonian Talmud,<ref name="murray"/> although others believe the Talmud references the Greek race game ''Kubeia''.

People in the [[Iranian plateau]] and [[Caucasus]] region, especially in [[Azerbaijan]], [[Iran]], [[Armenia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Uzbekistan]] and [[Russia]], are very fond of playing [[Nard (game)|narde]]. All 15 of a player's counters are initially positioned on his own 24-point, but there is a major difference. One is forbidden to put his counter at a point occupied by one's opponent's counter, so there is no hitting or imprisonment in the long narde game. The main strategy is to secure playing "big pairs" by one's own counter and prevent as much as possible doing the same by the opponent.

The game is known as "Fevga" in Greece, "Moultezim" in Turkey, Mahbusa in the Middle East and "Ifranjiah" or ''Frankish'' in Arabia. It can also be spelt as "Nard" or "Nardi".

A version known as ''short narde'' is a simplified form of Ifranjiah. In Georgia, ifranjiah is played as elsewhere, but called "nardi". In Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia many experienced players also play '''long narde''', which some see as requiring deeper strategy.

One of the most famous narde championships is the championship of Azerbaijan – Gizil Zar – Golden Dawn. The winner is awarded with gold dice.

'''[[Gul bara]]''', sometimes referred to as "'''Rosespring Backgammon'''" or "'''Crazy Narde'''", is a tables game in which there is no hitting.
{{anchor|Tavla}}

==== Turkey ====
[[File:Tavla oynayan kadınlar, Serik - Women playing backgammon in Turkey.jpg|thumb|left|Women playing ''[[tabula (game)|tavla]]'' in [[Turkey]].]]
{{main|Tawula}}
'''[[Tavla]]''' (from [[Latin]] Tabula, from [[Medieval Greek]] τάβλη<ref name="austin-zeno"/> or from [[Arabic]] "tawleh"), is a very popular game in Turkey. It lacks a doubling cube, gammons and backgammons are counted as two points called ''mars'' and the players may not hit and run in their home boards.<ref>[http://www.bkgm.com/variants/Tavla.html Tavla]</ref> Matches are usually played to five points. It is customary to call the dice rolls their [[Persian language|Persian]] number names, with local spellings: {{lang|fa-Latn|yek}} (1), {{lang|fa-Latn|dü}} (2), {{lang|fa-Latn|se}} (3), {{lang|fa-Latn|cehar}} (4), {{lang|fa-Latn|penç}} (5), and {{lang|fa-Latn|şeş}} (6).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ergil|first1=Leyla Yvonne|title=Top Tavla tips for expats to play like a Turk|url=http://www.dailysabah.com/life/2014/10/11/top-tavla-tips-for-expats-to-play-like-a-turk|website=Daily Sabah|date=11 October 2014|publisher=dailysabah.com|access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref>

There are many variants of Tavla in Turkey, where the course of play changes drastically. The usual tavla is also known as ''erkek tavlası'' ("boys' tavla" or "men's tavla"). The other variant ''kız tavlası'' ("girls' tavla") is a game which depends only on the dice and involves no strategy. There is another variant called ''asker tavlası'' ("soldiers' tavla") where the pieces are thrown to the board randomly and the opponents try to flip their pieces over the opponents' pieces to beat them. The player with no pieces left loses the game. This variant doesn't involve dice at all and the play depends more on hand-eye coordination than tactical decision making. ''Üniversite tavlası'' ("university tavla") is a variant of the game played with two or more tavlas and four or more players, with the players forming groups. The dice are thrown only by two opposing players and the rest must play the same dice. If a team member gets beaten and cannot enter, his teammates cannot play for that round. Although the dice are the same, the game on every board differs, where the case of one team member winning and another losing is very common. This variant is considered much harder because the player must take more than one play into account while only being capable of making decisions on his own board.

'''Hapis''' (Turkish for "prison") is another tables game played in Turkey. It is very similar to Mahbusa played in the [[Arab World]].

==Historical tables games ==
[[File:Alfonso-seis-dos-as.jpg|thumb|''Seis, dos, y as'' from the 13th century [[Libro de los juegos]]]]
Many of the ancestors of modern tables games are no longer widely played.

=== 13th century Spanish games ===
*Games described in the royal book of games, {{lang|es|[[Libro de los Juegos]]}}:
** Quinze Tablas (Fifteen Pieces)
** Doce Canes or Doce Hermanos (Twelve Dogs or Twelve Brothers)
** [[Doblet]] (Doublet), related to the English game of Doublets
** Fallas (Drop Dead), related to the English game of Fayles
** Seys Does e As (Six, Two and Ace), related to the English game of Six-Ace
** [[Ludus Anglicorum|Emperador]] (Emperor)
** Medio-[[Ludus Anglicorum|Emperador]] (Half Emperor)
** Paireia de Entrada (Paired Entry)
** Cab e Quinal (Alongside Fives)
** [[Todas Tablas]] (All Pieces), related to the Anglo-Scottish game of [[Irish (game)|Irish]]
** [[Laquet]], related to the French game of [[Jacquet (game)|Jacquet]]
** Buffa Cortesa (Courtly Puff), related to the German game of Puff
** Buffa de Baldrac (Common Puff)
** Rencontrat

=== 16th and 17th century English games ===
*Games described by Willughby (1672):
** [[Dublets]]
** [[Ticktack]]
** [[Irish (game)|Irish]], 16th and 17th century British game; directly ancestral to Backgammon.
** Early Backgammon
* Additional games described by Cotton (1674):
** Sice-Ace
** Catch-Dolt (Ketch-Dolt)
* Additional games described by Seymour (1754):
** [[Verquere]]
** Grand Trick Track, related to French [[Trictrac]]
* Additional games described by Murray (1941):
**Queens Game
**Fails (or Fayles)
**[[Lurch (game)|Lurch]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Games}}
*[[Mancala]] ('sowing' or seed games)

== Footnotes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Literature ==
* [[Bell, R.C.]] (1979) ''Board And Table Games From Many Civilizations'' (revised edition with two volumes dated 1960 and 1969 bound into a single book) – Dover Publications, [[Mineola, New York]], 1979. {{ISBN|0-486-23855-5}}; reprinted by Exeter Books, New York City, 1983. {{ISBN|0-486-23855-5}}
* Fallavel J.M. (1715). [https://books.google.com/books?id=DutfAAAAcAAJ&q=Paris&pg=RA3-PA41 ''Le Jeu du trictrac, Enrichi De Figures Avec les Jeux du Revertier, du Toute-Table, du Tourne-Case, de Dames Rabattues, du Plain et du Toc.''] 3rd edn. Paris: Henry Charpentier.
* [[Murray, H. J. R.]] (1952). ''A History of Board-Games other than Chess''. 1st pub. 1952, [[Oxford University Press]], reissued by Hacker Art Books (1978), {{ISBN|0-87817-211-4}}
* [[Finkel, Irving]] (2007). [https://csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~pbarfuss/On_the_Rules_for_the_Royal_Game_of_Ur.pdf "On the Rules for the Royal Game of Ur"] in ''Ancient Board Games in Perspective'' ed. Irving Finkel. London: British Museum. pp.&nbsp;16–32.
* [[Willard Fiske|Fiske, Willard]] (1905). [https://archive.org/details/chessinicelandin00fiskuoft/page/172/mode/2up ''Chess in Iceland and Icelandic Literature: with historical notes on other table-games'']. Florence: Florentine Typographical Society.
* [[Parlett, David]] (1999). [https://books.google.com/books?id=rH6DAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Oxford+History+of+Board+Games "The Tables Turned: Backgammon from Ur to Us" in ''The Oxford History of Board Games'']. Oxford: OUP, pp.&nbsp;58–87. {{isbn|9780192129987}}

==External links==
* [http://www.bkgm.com/variants/index.html ''Variants at Backgammon Galore'']
* [https://archive.org/details/fevga/mode/2up ''Fevga or Moultezim or Tawla 31''] - rules.
* [https://archive.org/details/PlakotoBoardGameIntroductionRulesAndBasicStrategy/PlakotoBoardGameStrategy/page/n7/mode/2up ''Plakoto'' (''Mahbooseh'')] - rules.

{{tables games}}{{Tabletop games by type}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tables (Board Game)}}
[[Category:Tables games| ]]
[[Category:Traditional board games]]

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